Intermezzo

Gergiev's Ring lacks box office sparkle

Not many takers so far for Valery Gergiev's Mariinsky Ring, which rolls into Birmingham in November. A glance at the Birmingham Hippodrome website suggests only around a quarter of the seats have been sold.

Individual tickets for the four operas are now available at prices ranging from £115 to £200 per opera - or more than four times what you'd pay for a Welsh National Opera show at the same venue. As reader Bohdan wrote to me "I was initially quite excited when you announced this event a few months ago, but now that I’ve seen that a reasonably priced ticket will cost £200, I shan’t be going. In my opinion it’s way over-priced for this particular production." A sentiment I am sure will be shared.

Birmingham gets a Russian Ring

The much-derided Mariinsky Ring Cycle (as seen at Covent Garden in 2009) goes West.

West Midlands, that is. The Birmingham Hippodrome, which "annually mounts the biggest pantomime in the country" is well-qualified to host the Gergiev-led extravaganza in November 2014.

The Maestro himself has, inevitably, "not yet had the chance to inspect the venue," so cross fingers he can fit his assortment of totem poles and Valkyries through the door.

Tickets go on sale on 9 December 2013. No word yet on prices, but given that they're offering a direct debit option don't expect it to be cheap.

 

*PRICING UPDATE* A brochure and booking form are now available, showing prices ranging from £252 to £756 for the full cycle.

For an additional £35, you can become a Hippodrome 'Friend', which gives you priority booking privileges, meaning you can book right now.

For £2,750, you can join the Ring Cycle Syndicate, which includes 5 nights' accommodation as well as various tours and activities.

Single performances will be on sale from Spring 2014.

Backstage with Barenboim at the Proms Ring

The German TV channel RBB trailed Daniel Barenboim and his Staatskapelle Berlin all the way from Tegel airport to the Royal Albert Hall. The resulting documentary offers an intriguing glimpse of what went into producing the Proms Ring cycle - plus a sugar-coated view of London. Mostly in German, but don't let that put you off.

If you can't see it below, try RBB's website. May take a while to load.

We'll Ring You

On sale in Seattle Opera's online gift shop - Ring merch with a difference. On top of the 'giant' baseball cap, you can find a teddy bear dressed as Wotan, slogan Ts and even a Xmas ornament. Beats a CD any day.

Castorf's final curtain

The pictures tell it all. While cast and crew around him beamed smiles of joy/relief after last night's Götterdämmerung, Frank Castorf's face registered a big 10 on the Frownometer. Not even a photo-op with Chefin Eva Wagner-Pasquier or a consolatory kiss from Allison Oakes (Gutrune) could ungrit those teeth.

Meanwhile, Katharina Wagner joined her half-sister to bathe in the reflected glory of Bayreuth's British Brünnhilde Catherine Foster, and Kirill Petrenko celebrated his orchestral victory.

Bundeskanzlerin Merkel didn't share the celebrations. She'd already left her private bungalow in the Hotel Waldstein straight after Siegfried to start her annual walking holiday in the Tyrol.

Boovation in Bayreuth

Even in boo-loving Bayreuth, it's rare that a director receives a reception quite as hostile as this.

The Merkur's Markus Thiel captured the moment that Frank Castorf stepped out on stage after Götterdämmerung. Angry Wagner fans who had been bottling up their boos ever since Das Rheingold were finally free to unleash their feelings. Castorf and his team, seemingly well-prepared for the hostile reaction, stood calmly and faced the fury. 

Read reviews in English of the whole cycle on Simon Morgan's blog to find out what provoked the storm.